Ccaps Blog

Get a pop music band and a couple of choreographers to teach simple dance steps to some 800 dancers. These will teach around 20,000 other people and create one of the most amazing demonstrations of the power of crowds.

Pump up that volume!

Here at Ccaps we also got a feeling that 2010′s gonna be a good year! How could it not be? We all deserve a better world, where people will work together towards common goals. This is what we have been doing for 10 years with our clients, partners and collaborators.

May you all have a wonderful holiday season. And we look forward to seeing you next year.

Our good new year!

We often hear about endangered species or the endangered rainforest but a new endangerment is on the rise that is worrying scholars worldwide: the endangerment of languages.

Did you know that, according to UNESCO, of the 7,000 or so languages still heard in the world, about 3,000 are at risk, and 199 have fewer than 10 speakers left? Imagine that, a language with fewer than 10 speakers! It would be like having your own private code that only you and your closest friends and family knew. It is said that by half way through the century almost all humans will speak one of a handful of megalanguages – Mandarin, English, Spanish – although often a poor version of them.

To better illustrate the situation, UNESCO has created an Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger that shows the name of the language, degree of endangerment and the country or countries where it is spoken. The online edition provides additional information on numbers of speakers, relevant policies and projects, sources, ISO codes and geographic coordinates. Users can provided input and updates online in order to keep the information up to date.

Why do we need this and why should we care? Well, besides cultural preservation, languages provide a unique vision of the world by varying groups of people. According to scientists, balance in languages, like balance in the environment, is essential for human survival. “Every time we lose (a language), we lose that much also of our adaptability and our diversity that gives us our strength and our ability to survive,” said professor emeritus at University of Alaska Fairbanks, Michael Krauss, during his presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in San Francisco.

Linguists know what causes languages to disappear. Demographic shifts, government neglect or suppression of regional and indigenous languages, the depredations of mass media all play a role. Less often remarked is what happens on the way to disappearance; language vocabularies, grammars and expressive potential all diminish.

“Say a community goes over from speaking a traditional Aboriginal language to speaking a creole,” says Nick Evans, an Australian National University linguist and leading authority on Aboriginal languages. (Article from The Australian) “Well, let’s just use talking about the natural world as an example. You leave behind a language where there’s very fine vocabulary for the landscape. Inside the language there’s a whole manual for maintaining the integrity of the landscape, for managing it, for using it, for looking for stuff. All that is gone in a creole. You’ve just got a few words like ‘gum tree’ or whatever.”

“There are times when what people speak is like seeing the
world through very badly made, thick glasses,
you can avoid bumping into objects,
but you don’t see all the beautiful detail.”

UNESCO hopes to reverse this process by creating awareness about extinction of languages and through preservation projects. The Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages has a mission to document, maintain, preserve and revitalize endangered languages. Their free online movie, The Linguists, documents some of the most extinct languages in the world and hopes to learn from them before they vanish. For example, did you know that over 80% of plant and animal species that exist in the world have not yet been named or classified by western science or given western language names? But these species have names in these endangered languages. These facts alone warrants the preservation and study of these thousands of dying languages.

Hello People! I am going to start a series of posts talking about Software Quality.

Quality, today, is not just about a company having a market differential to sell more and increase profits, but a pre-requisite that must be conquered in order to get their product into the global market. Quality is a subject that is frequently discussed but rarely practiced. Missed deadlines, low productivity, inefficient quality control and high costs seem to be some of barriers that new technologies cannot overcome.

But in the end, what is software quality? In order to address the issue, it is necessary that we understand what “Quality Software” means exactly. There are several definitions. Some people tried to explain quality in a simple way and came up with definitions such as:

“Quality is to comply with customer requirements.”
“Quality is to anticipate and meet the customer’s wishes.”

We can also say that all the problems related to software quality fall in one of these two categories: lack of Quality of Compliance and lack of Quality of Performance.

Quality of Compliance refers to the adherence of the product to the purpose for which it was built. On the other hand, Quality of Performance refers to the capacity of the product to perform its desired function. In terms of software, this means lack of bugs, infrastructure (hardware) fault tolerance, user error tolerance, etc.

But why one should worry about software quality? There are some obvious reasons, as nobody likes to use a software program with bugs. These technical problems can cause enormous losses, such as the malfunctioning of a million dollar satellite. They can also cause multiple digit losses to a banking institution, prevent telephone carriers to provide long distance calls (and this has already happened with AT&T) or even cause a blackout in various cities. Ask people in India how inconvenient blackouts can be…

This is not all. Quality, today, is crucial for the survival of a company that wants to be successful in the global software market. An organization cannot succeed in this market if they do not produce quality software and if the clients do not have access to high quality products and services.

Contrary to what many think, the return on investment in quality is short. When quality improves, so does productivity, and the costs decrease due to lower rework rates and minimum waste. Not to mention the improvement in customer satisfaction, which often results in increased market share.

In the next post, I will talk about the costs of investing in quality. Stay tuned!

Interfering with the text of an author is a sensitive issue. What should be the attitude of the reviewer: preserve the original text as much as possible or be a hidden co-author? During the course of my internship, I have intuitively formed some opinions about this and can now make them clear for myself — which is a great exercise of self-evaluation.

The more objective the text, the more I interfere. I tend to make myself present with textual interferences because, like authors, I believe that we should be humble enough to acknowledge that our texts can be constantly improved — by others or by ourselves. It is a never-ending process, I am sorry.

Each revised text is a learning experience! And this has nothing to do with (in)experience; it has to do with being receptive to other writers, other styles, other minds. Reviewers somewhat put authors down. In this process, we are looking through the lens of the author to see his vision of the world and how it reflects in the writing and is incorporated in it.

Therefore, in my work I try to offer solutions that reconcile my ideology and that of the author. But this is not always possible. What is right or wrong? I do not believe in this dichotomy as an objective plan. One cannot simply say that the apple should replace the orange; one should find the roots of the tree, the history and conditions of the seeding, along with climate factors. Please do not adopt this as a formula; I do not even know how to grow apples and oranges. Before you tell me to go plant some trees, let us see what we can do together!

Reflect with me for a moment: Good use of language comes from hypothetical notions, from ideal conditions for cultivation and consumption. But it is not always rainy or sunny, as forecasted. I am not saying that we should burn our manuals. Why not recognize that wild fire, for example, is not only illegal but also harmful to the environment? Like my colleague Marilena Moraes says, we are always surrounded by Cegalla, Bechara, Aurélio, Houaiss and other philologists, grammarians and scholars. They are not only some printed references but mostly everything scholarly that is dedicated to systematize intuitive knowledge that we all have in respect to language.

We as reviewers — or eventually as translators of our own language — are precisely the language professionals licensed by our extensive linguistic experience. We are like referees at a soccer game, calling the shots on the field. People are constantly ridiculing and throwing tomatoes at us because the fans and the players are not always willing to accept our calls. They obviously also have their moments of reason: those moments when we are too strict or too lenient, when we are wrong and right. After all, in any social context judgment does exist.

As readers, we are rather objective when correcting, especially when it comes to spelling and accentuation, which for me are minor issues as they remain on the surface of the text. I recognize the importance of unifying our spelling system, but I also think that spelling and accents are utterly the final touches to any text, the make-up of the writing. Our inspiration does not come from the supreme world of ideas, but from our grammar, our intuitive and systemic knowledge of the language that we use everyday.

On behalf of the Portuguese language, please call us reviewers, and not correctors!

I’m guessing their localization engineers had
technical problems?!?!

Studies reveal that with time fewer words are used in print advertising. That’s right, people: marketing and advertising people today not only prefer but use mostly visual language!

Increasingly bright ads, where fewer words are shown, are the most successful in the market. I decided to go back and check a few old magazines to compare them with those of today. The difference is shocking! Visual metaphors and iconization have indeed become the soul of the business.

Long before I was born

Late last century

Today

The XXI century advertising is used in a way that words can be free of the shackles of the written word, go beyond the boundaries of creativity and explore logical thinking to the maximum. That is, the word is there, only it is not written…

But for those of us who work with the written language, where will we be?

How is it possible that no one has talked about Twitter here at the Ccaps Blog? OK then, I will be the first!

It is very unlikely that you haven’t heard of Twitter as everyone talks about it on the Websphere. Yet a lot of people don’t have the slightest idea of what it is.

The Wikipedia describes it as “a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications.” In other words, it’s a way for you to share anything and everything with anyone that has a minimal interest in what you have to say. And the best part, you are not required to follow your followers and vice-versa.

Have you twitted today?

Contrary to what you may think, Twitter is not like Orkut, Facebook or the like! Twitter is a place where you exchange information in real time with various sources, have fun, talk to friends, get in touch with celebrities or receive online promotions. The sky is the limit!

As expected, the localization world is all over on Twitter! There are various companies, professionals and industry magazines with profiles on Twitter that you can follow, if interested. Those who became Twitter-addicted here at Ccaps are your humble writer, Fabiano and Bruno.

Those that cast the first stone at Twitter, thinking that it is silly and useless, are the same who became addicted in the first week!

To follow Ccaps (@ccaps_l10n), click here.

Here are some more pearls from the former US President.

“People say, well, do you ever hear any other voices other than, like, a few people? Of course I do.” Washington, DC. Dec. 18, 2008
Like, who man? It’s those little voices in your head, right?

“I’ve been in the Bible every day since I’ve been the president.” Washington, DC. Nov. 12, 2008
Have you been there, physically? How did it feel, old man?

“I want to share with you an interesting program — for two reasons, one, it’s interesting, and two, my wife thought of it — or has actually been involved with it; she didn’t think of it. But she thought of it for this speech.” Bush discussing a company that improves access to clean water in Africa. Washington, DC. Oct. 21, 2008
So Laura too can be blamed for some of these English distortions?

“There’s no question about it. Wall Street got drunk — that’s one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras — it got drunk and now it’s got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments.” Speaking at a private fundraiser. Houston, TX. July 18, 2008  (Watch video clip)
Looks like it’s time to give Wall Street one of those morning after hangover cures. Red Eye, anyone?

“And they have no disregard for human life.” Bush on the brutality of Afghan fighters. Washington, DC. July 15, 2008
Those Afghan fighters are quite compassionate, are they not?

“Goodbye from the world’s biggest polluter.” George W. Bush, in parting words to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at his final G-8 Summit, punching the air and grinning widely as the two leaders looked on in shock. Rusutsu, Japan. July 10, 2008
Go Big Texas!

“Amigo! Amigo!” Calling out to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Spanish at the G-8 Summit. Rusutsu, Japan. July 10, 2008
Phylologists of the world, here is a new language: Spanlian.

“Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people.” Charlottesville, VA. July 4, 2008
What overpopulation problem?

“I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office.” Washington, DC. June 26, 2008
What were North Koreans doing in the Oval Office? Building a UFO?

“There is some who say that perhaps freedom is not universal. Maybe it’s only Western people that can self-govern. Maybe it’s only, you know, white-guy Methodists who are capable of self-government. I reject that notion.” London, UK. June 16, 2008
I think only, you know, white-guy Methodists, like say that.

“Penetra surdamente no reino das palavras.” (Penetrate silently into the kingdom of words) With this verse, which is part of the poem Procura da poesia, by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, I invite you to check out the Museum of the Portuguese Language.

Inaugurated in 2006, the museum was built in downtown São Paulo, next to the charming Estação da Luz train station, which was especially restored for the museum inauguration. As a translation student, I could not fail to step foot there at least once…

My morning began precisely at the train and subway station. Such a beautiful scene! Dating back to the early years of the 20th century, the Victorian building was built after sites like the Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Hardwood doors, crystal chandeliers, detailed plaster ceiling and iron arches make up the interior. In the middle of the entrance hall leading to the platforms, there is a simple piano, though sufficient to complement the movement of those passing by.

At 10 AM I was already in the museum! The excursion begins with a video about the origins and the evolution of Brazilian Portuguese, narrated by renowned actress Fernanda Montenegro. We are then transported to some language planetarium, on where images and audio are projected. Language here is a concrete experience, almost like a hand that touches our senses.

Poems and tongue twisters in the voices of singers Chico Buarque and Maria Bethânia and actor Matheus Nachtergaele are accentuated by colors and live forms on the celestial dome. You cannot leave the Praça da Língua (Language Plaza) without first taking a walk of fame on the floor of projected poems. Pure delight!

The elevator is in fact panoramic! A full view of the Árvore de Palavras (Word Tree) on our way to the second floor (as we were on the third floor). Not to mention the mantra composed by poet and singer Arnaldo Antunes, who repeats the words “language” and “word” in multiple languages. Much better than “Smile! You are on security camera!”

The second floor begins with the Grande Galeria (Great Gallery), a screen that extends the entire wing. Here there are projections of the Portuguese language in the daily lives and history of its users. But I am not saying that you are a mere spectator! Beco das Palavras (Alley of Words) and Mapa dos Falares (Map of Dialects) are like our own personal Maracanã. The former is like a game with a big electronic table where we place the letters to form words and learn about their meanings and origin. The latter is an electronic booth where we can touch the screen to see and listen to testimonials of Brazilian speakers throughout the country and check the local color of each speaker. Linha do Tempo (Time Line) and the totems named as Palavras Cruzadas (Crosswords) are also worth a look!

I am not going to tell you what I saw on the first floor. You have to see it for yourself. The exhibits on this floor are temporary. Once you have been there, you can tell us what you saw. The Ccaps Blog is precisely for this!

What do you think? If you want to embark on the idea of visiting the museum, just make sure to not go on Monday as it’s closed! The reasonably priced entrance fee is your passport to a great museum collection. Flying first class, of course, just like when you buy Ccaps services! =)